Japanese Trade Minister Yukio Edano has announced that two of Japan's nuclear reactors – the No. 3 and No. 4 units at Ohi – have been declared safe and will need to be restarted. The reactors – owned by Kansai Electric Power Co. – will be the first in Japan to restart since the Fukushima crisis last year.
The announcement came in a news conference after a meeting with Edano, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and two other ministers. According to Edano, the four agreed that the reactors cleared the government’s technical review on resilience against severe events, and also that a restart was necessary to avoid a sudden power shortage in the summer, when Kansai’s power supply may fall by up to 20 percent short of peak-hour demand.
“We’ve confirmed safety and necessity for restart of the reactors, and we’re now entering into a stage to seek understanding of local communities and the public,” Edano said.
He will now visit the Fukui governor in order to explain the central government's decision and ease public concern. According to the BBC, Regional authorities must also give approval before the two reactors can begin operating.
On Monday, Kansai announced it would spend $2.5 billion on safety upgrades for its 11 nuclear reactors. While the upgrades – which include filtered-vent systems, permanent emergency back-up batteries and quake-proof buildings for use as crisis centers – will take up to four years to install, the investment is a step in the right direction for many concerned about nuclear safety.
“Though I think we have improved safety to prevent an accident similar to Fukushima, steps to increase safety never end,” Kansai President Makoto Yagi said. “Safety at nuclear plants is our top priority."
Starting up the reactors would usually take one or two days after approval is granted, but it is still unclear how long it would take in this case.